Rating: Summary: The Point of No Return Review: HOLY COW!! Talk about x-rated.I thought the last two were incredible, this one rocked me off my feet! The 7th is by far her best to date. No more introductions, no more allusions, she just gets to the story. Hamilton doesn't even let you recover; she hits you again and again with non-stop, heart-stopping action. I could not put it down; it occupied every chance I had to read and then some. It begins right off into the action and you don't know what to expect. While it does move rather quickly, it keeps you on your feet and wanting more. The way that LKH is able to intricately incorporate such themes and stories into one book is incredible, amazing. Be careful, so much happens at once that you might get overwhelmed: be calm, breathe deeply and read responsibly. Well, well, well. Who would have thought-Anita and Jean-Claude, together, forever? Woa, talk about hot and heavy. Anita gets a little frisky...and freaky. She's getting so much stronger and tougher but it's cool. Hamilton gets down and dirty, no more mister nice guy. The series starts out sooo PG-13, but Burnt Offerings should be given a triple X rating. Oh, yeah. It's that good. Buffy who? Read on... It's about sex, sex, sex, and more sex. Even though half the people are naked or half-naked or, um, other things, it isn't done in a gratuitous or obscene manner, it just is. Her characters are so real and vivid, you imagine what they look like, she gives that free range of motion. It's playful, sexy, sweet. She's so far deep in the rabbit whole that she's not sure if she's become or becoming like one of the monsters. She is not only involved with the werewolves but now a lot more with the wereleopards. That's only part of the book. What starts out to be a pyrokinetic burning down buildings, spirals towards the arrival of the Vampire Council and some freaky perverted things. Plus, they but one or two objective: one, to kill Jean-Claude. Why? You'll have to read it. After THD, Richard and Anita are somewhat estranged, in other words, Richard is majorly pissed at Anita for sleeping and dating the Master of the City, otherwise known as the wonderful Jean-Claude. Although I didn't like Richard in the beginning, he's starting to grow on me, no pun intended. (...) Your half laughing and half gripping the book so hard because you can't wait what happens next. They still have really strong feelings for each other and they nearly jump each other's bones in front of people...wereanimals mostly. Modest, chaste and shy Anita do that? Hell yes! It's got everything for everyone, a bit too much for people who can't handle it, but it's a series that just gets better and better. Granted, LKH gets graphic and very descriptive, but be open-minded. Don't read so much in pattern but what the story is telling you; jeez, some people just can't enjoy a great story/ series w/o analyzing every aspect of it. Just read it with out prejudice and certain expectations and trust me, you'll love the series as much as I do.
Rating: Summary: Err, okay.... Review: As ususal, great characters, good character development and nice circumstantial detail on the world of Anita Blake. Unfortunately, the plot is not as strong as usual. Representatives of the Vampire Council roll into St Louis ostensibly to investigate The Master of the City's activities, but in practice the point was more to perpetrate the various atrocities Ms. Hamilton had dreamed up between novels. It's not hard to imagine that "living" a few thousand years would up these folks' entertainment threshhold, but at times they seem like the S&M Frat Boys (and Girls) from Hell. Overall, the novel seemed rushed and to lose it's way. Plotlines appear and are then discarded with annoying frequncy reappearing only as afterthoughts in the conclusion. Where I normally have no problem suspending disbelief with Hamilton's work, some points dealing with human/monster political relationships in this novel really rang false. Not Ms. Hamilton's best work. So, why do I still rate it a 4? Many points important to later novels are revealed here and even a mediocre effort by L.K. Hamilton is a darn entertaining read.
Rating: Summary: The Older the Vampire, the More Vicious the Bite!! Review: Anita Blake's life never gets any simpler. Now that she's decided to date only Jean-Claude, the Master of the City, her ex-boyfriend, alpha werewolf Richard, becomes impossible to deal with. This is understandable, but when Anita interferes in lycanthrope politics to help protect several were-leopards, Richard comes into town in a serious bad mood. Having slain Raina, the werewolf queen in the previous volume, Anita seems to have acquired a supernatural connection with the pack, and is not about to back down. But Richard's absence has hurt the pack and there is much to be undone. While Anita's relationship with Jean-Claude is going well, dating a vampire is never a simple proposition. When a romantic dinner is interrupted by several vampires from Jean-Claude's past, Anita suspects that things are about to get complicated. One of the vampires is Asher, once a close companion of Jean-Claude and now one of his direst enemies. Asher was horribly scarred at the hands of the church and blames Jean-Claude for both his deformities and the death of his human servant. But Asher is not the worst threat. Several members of the European vampire council have come to St. Louis to demand an explanation for the death of another member of the council at Anita's hands (Mr. Oliver from "Circus of the Damned"). These two are your worst nightmares come true. The Traveler, who occupies the bodies of other vampires as his way of getting around, and Padma, the Master of Beasts, who can control any lycanthrope. Both of these two are far more powerful than Jean-Claude. And far, far nastier. The master of St. Louis is facing the challenge of his unlife, with only Anita and a very reluctant Richard to aid him. "Burnt Offerings" is vintage Hamilton. With Anita's relationships with Jean-Claude and Richard settled for the present, Hamilton is free to concentrate on her typically complex plot. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of action there. But there's plenty of time for all of the regulars, from Jean-Claude to Irving the werewolf reporter to become more defined as characters. In addition, we are treated to a group of monsters horrific and perverse enough to satisfy the most spoiled of tastes. Prepare yourself for a classic sexy/scary vampire tale. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: burnt offerings Review: i have found, laurell hamilton's, vampire series to be the best. With excellant plots that keep you on your toes.If you havent read them, you dont know what your missing.Looking forward to more of her books!!
Rating: Summary: The Vampire Council pays a visit to Jean-Claude and company Review: After Anita Blake finally made a choice between Jean-Claude the Master Vampire and Richard the Werewolf in the previous volume, I was expecting there to be a let down of some sort in Laurell K. Hamilton's next book in the Vampire Hunter series. Certainly, "Burnt Offerings" tries to top what has gone before, as several members of the Vampire Council arrive in St. Louis intending to deal harshly with Jean-Claude. Remember back when Anita killed Oliver, the ancient vampire who wanted the U.S. to strip away the rights given to vampires? Well, it seems Oliver was a member of the Council and Jean-Claude has refused to take his place as custom dictates. Plus, the triumvirate established between our heroine and her two paramours is also potentially threatening to the Council. Then there are a couple of vampires with mondo grudges against our little group. Meanwhile, there appears to be a pyrokinetic arsonist running around and the anti-Vampire groups are escalating their attacks. This seventh volume in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series continues the recent trend of providing graphic sexual violence as Hamilton continues to up the horror ante. But her novels continue to end the same way, with Anita discovering she is more powerful than she or anybody else thought and turning the tables on the bad monsters at the last minute. Each time this trick gets turned it becomes less and less impressive, and if Jean-Claude or Richard or someone else were to save the day once it would not be a bad thing since it would break what is becoming the standard formula of these novels. The political intrigues of the Vampire Council are quite interesting, and the powers of the Traveler and the Master of Beasts suggests bigger and badder vamps yet to be met. Or maybe, horror or horrors, Anita's dad will show up (he is not at all happy about Jean-Claude). In the end, "Burnt Offerings" is an average book in this series, which remains the premier horror series of our time. Of course, you have to be sure you read these in order.
Rating: Summary: Classiness Incarnate Review: I usually don't read vampire novels! However, I must say that Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is one of the best reads I've had in a long time. It's not just engaging sensationalism. The sense of sarcasm is flawless, and the books appeal on many many levels--I believe this is the first chick series to truly appeal to "men" (in the generalized and somewhat unfair "macho" sense of the word). This series is part romance, part horror, part mystery, part dark comedy, and all sexy.
Rating: Summary: Anita Blake fans get another treat Review: I'm reading these books in order, and what I really like about them is that they are in no way formulaic. Each instalment differs from the previous ones in an interesting way, and the structure changes rapidly. I don't want to spoil it, but this one has a different final scene from the usual, which usually has Anita outgunning or outsmarting insurmountable odds. There is an element of that here, but there is also a lot more subtlety. Just as we have learned a lot as we go through this series, so does Anita. There is very little of Richard, the werewolf non-boyfriend in this instalment - it's all about Anita, Jean-Claude, and the vampires. We learn a lot more about the vampire hierarchy and history, and as always, there is an interesting new monster to learn about. In particular, you get to meet the world's most powerful and senior vampires, with all their nasty kinks. Even more than in the real world, you don't get to be number one vampire by being a nice guy! My one criticism of this book is that it winds up a number of plot lines very rapidly at the end. I suspect that this was done to keep the book the same length as the previous ones. The author has said that she writes a lot more, and then cuts it down. She does it well, so you don't feel cheated, but I am a greedy person, and would love to have had more. If the Harry Potter books can keep on getting longer, as there is more to write about, then why can't the Anita Blakes? You probably shouldn't start the series with this book - I'm sure you could if you put your mind to it, but you would feel like you were missing out on something. Do yourself a favour - the books are cheap, you can start from the beginning, and enjoy the full experience. The only problem is, the books are very hard to put down, and you may find yourself neglecting other parts of your life, as you keep on reading "just one more chapter".
Rating: Summary: Fun trash, as usual Review: Nobody's going to mistake Laurell K. Hamilton for Nabokov, but she beats the hell out of Anne Rice, and as this series progresses, we're getting into some more interesting stuff. I don't mean the soap opera. Oh, sure, I care about Anita's love life. What I'm talking about is Hamilton coming up with more than one compelling character. The scene between Warrick and Anita is menacing...but also oddly touching. Warrick summoning the butterflies is somehow an image that makes you sad for him, and smile at the same time. Also, Larry the rookie vampire slayer has picked up some more interesting aspects, namely "Detective Tammy." This is a strong entry in the series, and a pretty fun read. Definitely worth taking to the beach or curling up with on a rainy day.
Rating: Summary: An interesting book Review: _Burnt Offerings_ is the seventh book in the Anita Blake series, and its main focus is the vampires of St. Louis. Members of the vampire council have come to St. Louis from France, and Anita and the gang have some territory and dominance problems. The mystery was overshadowed by the further character development and new developments in Anita's arsenal of power. As always, the supporting characters are seductive, charming, endearing, and generally wonderful, and Asher is a great tortured anti-hero-type character. Read the other books first, though.
Rating: Summary: A good book, in keeping with the series. Review: I read a review here that said that this one was the dud of the series, and that one might as well skip it completely and go directly to Blue Moon. I disagree heartily! Granted, the supposed main plot, the fires, quickly fade to the background, and I thought the fire man would play a bigger role, but the Vampire Coucil was more important. Plus, it is traditional for the initial case of the book to fade into the background for the bulk of the book, and then pop back up toward the end. Asher was an incredible character, and I really look forward to seeing more of him. I hope he develops well. I also hope for more development of Anita's abilities, which she uses to great success. The wereleopards are going to be important, too. And the council? Well they can be summed up in Anita's words. "Incredible power, near eternal life, and they were petty. How disappointing."
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